Nothing At All: Silent Seduction
by 4Bluetiger
Summary: T'Pol realizes that Trip can tell her a great deal, even if he can't speak. Fluff.


Author's Note: This was originally a drabble for the song, _When You Say Nothing At All,_ by Alison Krauss. I wanted to expand it into a short story. I have been away from story writing for several years and wanted to dip my toes back in with this piece of TnT fluff. I have a longer plot driven story in the works that I hope to finish soon.

* * *

Trip wobbled a little and T'Pol tightened her grip on his arm. They took the trip down the corridor at a slow pace. It had only been three days since the ridiculous accident that had landed her husband in sickbay once again. She was originally undecided as to whose cabin to deposit her mate after his release. With Trip unable to speak, she made a quick decision. They tended to spend more nights in hers, but since his quarters were closer, it seemed only logical to go there.

T'Pol looked around the cabin. Surprisingly it was clean. The bed had fresh linens and there were no plates of half eaten food scattered about. Trip must have cleaned up just before the accident.

Since their recent marriage, they would alternate cabins. A larger space was under construction, but Trip wanted it to be perfect, so it was going more slowly than she wished.

T'Pol eased Trip down into his desk chair and moved over to ready the bed. With her back turned, she was temporarily unaware that her mate had activated his computer to bring up a list of engineering status reports.

T'Pol flipped the covers down and fluffed the pillows. Turning, she opened her mouth to tell him the bed was ready. That's when she saw what he was doing. T'Pol could tell her husband was already engrossed in what he was reading.

With a very un-Vulcan sigh of frustration, she walked over and turned off the monitor. Standing with arms crossed over her chest, T'Pol gave her love a stern look.

"You promised Dr. Phlox that if he released you to our cabin, you would stay in bed for the remainder of today."

Trip looked up at her and grinned sheepishly. He nodded and getting to his feet, headed toward their bunk. For the past few days, T'Pol had found the stark white bandages around her mate's neck to be unsettling. She now realized, that was insignificant compared to the twist in her stomach when looking at the livid red scar across half of Trip's throat.

After shedding his sweats, Trip crawled under the covers, glad to be out of sickbay. T'Pol adjusted his blanket and fussed with the clothing he had removed, making him smile. Thank goodness that was the only thing she did that reminded Trip of his mother.

Trip touched his lips with a finger. That had become his signal to his wife that he wanted a kiss. T'Pol leaned down and gave him the requested kiss. Her lips felt warm and comforting. T'Pol reminded him that she would be back after her shift and get their dinner.

Trip enjoyed the view as his wife turned and left their cabin. Watching the sway of those hips was a joy of which he would never tire. Trip made up his mind that tonight they would be having sex. T'Pol would probably claim that he needed to conserve his strength for healing. However, he had some tricks that were guaranteed to get his Vulcan bride in the mood. As he drifted off to sleep, Trip's thoughts were of tonight's seduction. After all, his throat might be cut but everything else still worked.

* * *

T'Pol stepped off the bridge into the turbolift. She directed the lift to deposit her on the deck containing the messhall. She was anxious to check on her mate, but knew Trip would be hungry.

Logic told her to arrive home with food.

Standing in the line, T'Pol began to peruse the selections. Several of Trip's favorites were on the menu tonight. However, Phlox was adamant that Trip stick to a soft food diet for at least a week. Taking a tray, T'Pol took a large salad for herself. She then began to add foods that had the doctor's approval. After gathering a soup course for both of them, she eyed the dessert selections. Although he couldn't speak, and didn't complain, T'Pol knew he was tired of the puréed diet.

Her hand snaked toward the slice of pecan pie, but she side stepped it for chocolate pudding instead. She had to be strong for Trip's on good but she had always found it difficult to deny her beloved mate things he really wanted.

* * *

Three days earlier, an incredibly illogical accident had befallen her mate. T'Pol sometimes pondered the probabilities of these kinds of things happening to anyone other than her husband.

The explosion in engineering was contained and did little damage…except to her husband. T'Pol was thankful she had been assisting in engineering that day. Her superior Vulcan hearing detected the whine of an overload seconds before Trip. As T'Pol shouted to clear the area, the explosion knocked her down. Watching from the deck T'Pol saw, in what almost seemed like slow motion, a razor thin piece of shrapnel spinning toward Trip like some kind of demented saw blade. T'Pol doubted she would ever forget the sight of the man she loved, a thin disc of metal embedded in his throat, gasping for breath as blood coursed down his neck.

Thanks to quick action from Phlox and his team, Trip arrived in sickbay before his blood loss reached critical levels. After emergency surgery, Phlox assured T'Pol her husband would be fine, however, Trip would be unable to speak for several weeks. His friends found this fascinating. If anything, Trip Tucker was a talker.

* * *

Stepping from the shower, Trip toweled off and carefully straightened the bathroom. He was well aware how fastidious his wife could be and didn't want to do anything to spoil the mood he was trying to achieve.

Trip had slept soundly all through T'Pol's shift and was feeling stronger for it. He had to admit that the rest had done him a lot of good.

As Trip dressed, he looked around the cabin to assure himself that everything was tidy. Glancing at the chronometer, he figured it was time to set the scene. T'Pol should be home any minute with their dinner and Trip found that he was very hungry.

As he lit the last candle, Trip heard a bump at the door.

* * *

T'Pol balanced the heavily laden tray and reached for the door release. Before she could press the button, the door swept open. Trip smiled sweetly and took the tray from her.

Looking around the cabin T'Pol noticed several things. Trip had cleared his desk and was now setting up their dinner, plus, her entire supply of meditation candles seemed to be scattered about the room. Their light created a warm glow. It didn't take more than a glance for T'Pol to realize that her husband had romance on his mind.

Secretly, T'pol was amused. She knew Trip would assume that she would not want to engage in love making until his health improved. What he didn't know was that she had, knowing her husband so well, cleared this with Phlox before they left sickbay. T'Pol was intrigued to see how this silent seduction would unfold.

* * *

T'Pol watched as Trip dived into the meal she had provided. He didn't indicate that he was displeased with any of her selections. She wondered if he was just very hungry, or if this was a ploy to stay in her good graces,

"Did you remain in bed today, as instructed?" T'pol asked.

Trip nodded, then made the sign on his chest for 'cross my heart', and smiled. Normally during a meal, Trip would keep the conversation going and she would respond when appropriate. T'Pol found that it fell to her now to fill the silence. She told Trip all that had occurred on the bridge during her shift and added in any gossip overheard from Hoshi and Travis.

She was pleased that several of her stories brought a soundless chuckle from her husband. As Trip scraped the last of his chocolate pudding from the bowl, T'Pol told him to stay seated while she cleaned up from their meal. Instead of turning to his computer as she half expected, Trip kept his eyes on her.

The next time she came within arms reach; Trip pulled T'Pol into his lap. He had no need to touch his lips because his intent was clear. She was quickly drawn into a passionate kiss. Although she found this quite enjoyable, the pleasure of having her husband home put her in a teasing mood.

When the opportunity presented itself to T'Pol, she stood and took a step back, Trip still clutching her hand.

"I should take our dishes back to the messhall."

Trip stood, walking her backwards toward the bed, shaking his head no.

"I need to meditate now."

Trip again shook his head no.

"I have a report due in a few days that could use some additional…"

Trip stopped walking. He squinted his eyes, pursed his lips, and tilted his head to the side. Suddenly T'Pol saw realization race across his face. _She's just messing with me_ blossomed like a light going off. A smile that was positively wicked came to Trip's face.

T'Pol lifted her chin and raised an eyebrow, "So…you do not wish to watch an after dinner movie?"

Reaching out with the tips of his fingers, Trip gave T'Pol a light shove, knowing their bunk was directly behind her. She tumbled onto the bed and scrambled to the back corner.

As she scooted back, her husband crawled slowly toward her, blue eyes brimming with emotions. T'Pol had never realized how much those eyes could convey. She could see humor, love, desire, and a deep devotion. T'Pol knew without a doubt that her husband would always be there to add his strength to her own when needed.

Trip was all about words. In fact, he had received much good-natured teasing from his friends about this enforced silence. According to Malcolm, bets were being placed on whether the commander would be able to keep his sanity intact until Phlox allowed him to speak again.

In the days since the accident, T'Pol was simply becoming more aware of her husband's complex nature. He was a man with an uncommon spirit and joy of life. His dazzling smile spoke straight to her heart of spending a lifetime together.

* * *

T'Pol lay snuggled into her husband's side. She leaned up and kissed the angry red scar on his throat. Trip gave a slight shudder at the touch. She didn't know if it was because the wound was sensitive or if her warm lips simply felt good. T'Pol could tell that he was totally contented.

Their lovemaking had been an enlightening experience. T'Pol had never considered how vocal Trip was during sex. Not that he would carry on a conversation while they made love, but she hadn't realized how often he murmured endearments. Subtly, he would guide her with a word here and there or a groan to let her know something was feeling really good.

This time, with total silence from Trip, T'Pol was hyper aware of her husband's body language. His lips and the caress of his strong hands spoke volumes. He was able to tell her exactly what he needed without saying a word.

Another revelation to T'Pol was how much she spoke during sex. Without realizing it, she had begun, with Trip's support, to tell him what she enjoyed and what she was feeling.

Glancing up at Trip's serene face, she was glad to see that he was asleep. He did in fact need the extra rest. T'Pol was eager for Trip to return to good health. She missed the sound of his honeyed voice.

T'Pol had never believed in the old tales of mate-bonds, but this wordless communication intrigued her. It was only when Trip stopped speaking that she realized, under certain circumstances, she could sense what Trip was feeling. Perhaps this was more that an ancient Vulcan legend.

Later, when she slipped from bed to meditate, she would ponder at length how her beloved mate was able tell her so much while saying nothing at all.


End file.
